Why architects should care about the proposed California budget.
Why architects should care about the proposed California budget.
Earlier this month California Governor Jerry Brown proposed— among $12.5 billion in budget cuts— eliminating the state’s over 400 redevelopment agencies, instead redistributing their funds directly to cities and counties. The move, if passed this spring, would disband the agencies as soon as July. - The Architect's Newspaper
6 Comments
I have been pondering about this.
As far as I know both examples in the article are in already 'developed' areas of the city. With all due concern for the architects' survival, myself included, those exampled projects should be 100% privately funded. There are other areas of the city that urgently need redevelopment funds like South Los Angeles, Eastside and few others. Even though I am with Jerry Brown on these cuts, I would say some of the areas where redevelopment is really needed should be spared from proposed budget.
Public money should finance projects in the areas where the private investment is scarce to none, not in hi end Marina Del Rey strip malls and in yuppie lofts of Santa Monica.
I stand to be corrected on these specific samples.
I posted this in the discussions. No takers.
I agree with Orhan: i dont want to take any money away from my fellow architects; the exampled projects should be and can be 100% privately funded; and there are other areas of the city that urgently need redevelopment funds.
Definitely there are many positives delivered by the CRA, but for the most part i see them as "corporate charity and are playgrounds for corruption." I have experience with only a few of the 30 or so "Project Areas" of the LA Community Redevelopment Authority. Each of these Project Areas is led by two staffers and a "Community Advisory Committee" which meets every other month and has final approval over all construction permits in the area. The Community Advisory Committees I have worked with are made up of only the largest land owners in the area & business improvement district representatives. The meetings are not publicized, the members of the committee seem to want to keep the meetings as private as possible. They deny permits to any emerging competition near their land.
The CRA does help build some great projects, like the downtown womens center, but most of redevelopment funds go to supporting filthy rich mega developers. There needs to be another mechanism to deliver these redevelopment funds.
Eliminating the CRA will speed up the construction permit process. Currently, being in a CRA zone often adds months to permits, they are the final approval after all other agencies. They are not forthcoming in what they want, they make you wait until the committee members make up their minds, and often they request changes that cause you to restart the process. Of course, big developers have no trouble breezing through the CRA, but many small developers are unable to get through this esoteric process.
In many areas of LA the CRA currently serves as the only design review. This should be done instead by Architects.
The city of Santa Monica has been doing fine without a CRA (though of course they have a natural advantage over most places so its an unfair comparison). They dont subsidize big development in Santa Monica, but they do tax it and use those tax dollars to build affordable housing and serve the under-served. LA needs to move beyond the CRA. Create an intelligent permitting system that is the same for everyone and addresses design review issues early in the process. Redevelopment funds should go only to the neediest areas of the state.
Bad because
1. it will hurt some architects
2. it will take money away from some very needy project
3. it will eliminate design review, less pedestrian friendly projects will result
Good because it will
1. eliminate a discretionary approval from the permit process
2. take money away from mega developers - they will be able to find the cash elsewhere
3. take away design review authority from those who should not have it, the CRA has no business being in design review - instead LA should form Architecture Review Boards to accomplish this
kapoveed, thanks shedding some light on the process and on the players.
seems like there will be some necessary restructuring after the state recovers in few years regarding community development. it is a good time to start building voices and incentives for the 'actual' community groups now.
and 52 million dollars of public money to help a billionaire art collector to realize his private dream museum?
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/01/la-council-agrees-to-speed-up-spending-52-million-in-redevelopment-money-before-governor-can-tap-it.html
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.